Brad Sham Apologizes for Saying Exactly What Every Cowboys Fan Was Thinking

The Cowboys were well into their first-quarter meltdown on Sunday when Dez Bryant, the team's embattled wide receiver, set up to return a Giants punt. Before the ball was snapped, the radio team of Brad Sham and Babe Laufenberg calmly suggested that Bryant, known for his casual handling of the football, do his best to hold onto it this time.

The ball came fluttering down, and Bryant muffed it. Then he picked it up. Then he fumbled it. The Giants recovered, but for a moment it seemed like Sham never would.

"I'm gonna say something I don't think I've said in 34 years," Sham eventually said. "Put that guy on the bench."

Minus the requisite expletives, it was the exact thought that was rampaging through the throbbing skulls of Cowboys fans across the metroplex. Bench the guy. Teach him something. Coach him up, as coaches say.

But Sham's old-school, and somewhere there's an unwritten rule that doing play-by-play makes you the straight man. Leave the opinion to the color guy. Besides, they serve at the pleasure of the team. Calling for a guy to be benched could test ol' Jerry's patience.

So there Sham was, not even a day later, apologizing for speaking truth to ineptitude. From the Star-Telegram:

"I don't think it was incorrect but it's not my role as a play by play man to be saying thinks like that," Sham said. "I shouldn't have said it."

Sham said the comment was regarding Dez as a punt returner only. Sham said no one in the organization has said anything to him in regards to the comment, nor does he expect it.

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I never realized how fortunate I was to grow up listening to Jim Irwin and Max McGee do the Green Bay Packer radio broadcasts. Since there is no specific owner of the GB franchise, these two were able to (and did) say whatever came to their minds during those games.

And let me tell you, during the Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Lindy Infante years, the entire reason you even tuned in to listen to the game was to hear what crazy shit was going to come out of McGee's mouth. The fact that he himself was a bona-fide Packer legend just sealed his credibility and the chemistry with Irwin was palpable. The fact that Irwin is as solid of a play-by-play announcer as there ever was didn't hurt, either. These two just really enjoyed watching football together and it showed.

The late years of this duo's career were spent watching the rise of Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren along with other greats like Sterling Sharpe, Edgar Bennet, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks and Ryan Longwell, among others. You could tell as this team was inevitably inching its way to Superbowl 30 that these guys were as excited as the fans and just as prone to the emotional outbursts that come with that designation.

Bummer for Brad that he doesn't feel free to say what needs to be said.

Dez plays badly and without any emotion - nobody can deny that. But when you have a quarterback like Rhomo (the "R" is silent) who would not even make a decent high school player, then it really does not matter what the rest of the team does. That sissified excuse for a pass that was intercepted for a touchdown sealed our fate, and without that one bad play alone we would have defeated the World Champion Giants for the second time this season.

As long as Dallas has Rhomo (the "R" is silent) for a quarterback this team is doomed to mediocrity because mediocre is the best Rhomo (the "R" is silent) will ever be. Unfortunately, neither our owner nor our coach has the awareness to realize it or the courage to do something about it, and that speaks volumes for both of them.

I just happened to be in the truck when Brad said that. The tone of his voice was laden with frustration and anger. He knows he went over the line with Jerry so I'm not terribly surprised he had to walk it back. However, what was said cannot be unsaid. He gave voice to what a lot of us have been thinking for a long time. It is not going to happen. No matter how much we want it.

Me? I passed through the anger stage some time last season. Full blown apathy. I honestly do not give a shit any more. Why should I invest any sports emotion in a team that consistently lets me down? At least when the Rangers were stinking it up they weren't trying to convince me they were WS material. Jerry cannot admit to us or anyone that his product is anything less than quality. It isn't, we know it, the other teams know it and whether or not he knows it is immaterial now. The only thing that makes for compelling football watching is wondering how messed up things can get this week. It was fitting that 2 fingers worth of goal line was enough to keep them from winning. Rooting for epic failure and rampant apathy. Empty seats and dwindling TV share might be the only things that get his attention.